My Books
THE ROAD DANCE film edition
A new edition of ‘The Road Dance’ to coincide with the general release of the film in May 2022.
Home
Built for the new age, the house stood boldly upright on the edge of the ocean withstanding the harsh blasts of a cruel century, nurturing and protecting the family within, watchful of hearts swollen or broken, dreams delivered and dashed. It had absorbed the tears and echoed the laughter.
“John MacKay is an astute and empathetic observer of the Hebridean psyche, with a remarkable command of historical detail.”
“Home is written from the heart with a deep understanding of love and loss, suffering and celebration. It is a vivid portrait of a family struggling to survive.”
Notes of a Newsman
Notes of a Newsman is the story of a changing Scotland as it was heard and seen by the people of Scotland. We all may have our ideas about where we are headed as nation and a society, but none of us knows. That makes what lies ahead so fascinating. Just like what’s gone before.
Last of the Line
When Cal MacCarl gets a phone call to his bachelor flat in Glasgow asking him to come to the bedside of his Aunt Mary, dying miles away on the Isle of Lewis, he embarks on a journey of discovery. With both his parents dead, his Aunt Mary is his only remaining blood link. When she goes he will be the last of the family line.
In a place where everybody knows everything about everybody, Cal finds that secrets are buried deep. He begins to understand that Mary was not the woman he knew and he might not be the person he thought he was.
“A heartfelt account of personal and family discovery”
“A tightly plotted story...with some lovely details of remote island life”
“Where MacKay differs from most other Hebridean-based novels is in his obvious research into the geography, and meticulous background into island traditions and cultures”
Heartland
A man tries to forge a new future for himself by reconnecting with his past. Iain Martin hopes that by returning to his Hebridean heartland and embarking on a quest to reconstruct an ancient family home, he might find a new purpose. But as he begins work on the old blackhouse, he uncovers a secret from the past which forces him to question everything.
“A gripping plot full of credible characters…set in a convincing background.”
“Broody atmosphere little gem set in the Hebrides.”
The Road Dance
Life in the Scottish Hebrides can be harsh - the edge of the world some call it. Fro the beautiful Kirsty Macleod, the love of Murdo and their dreams of America promise an escape from the scrape of the land, the repression of the Church and the inevitability of the path of their lives would take. But as the Great War looms Murdo is conscripted. The villagers hold a grand Road Dance to send their young men off to battle. As the dancers swirl and sup, the wheel of tragedy are set in motion.
“Few more harrowing scenes have been depicted by an author…Powerful, shocking, heartbreaking.”
“This is a writer able to pace a story, with believable characters and a telling sense of time, place and culture.”
“…conjures up the atmosphere of fear that stalks a community. ”